The Arabian Peninsula Partnership
The Gospel for every person and a church for every people in the Arabian Peninsula amongst indigenous peoples
23 April, 2010
Marriages.
Praise
Thank the Lord that there has been rain all week in the north of the country. In an area where there is a shortage of water, this is a true blessing. Ask that the people of this land will be "flooded with Good News"and accept the Gospel.
Prayer
On the day before Easter, a local guy was packing my groceries. He asked in Arabic, "What is Easter?" I didn't have a lot of time to chat in the store, but it was exciting to explain the good news of Jesus' sacrifice. Pray that he will want to know more about Jesus' sacrifice for him.
One family says "Our main request is for people to help us learn /study the local language and to be led to people hungry to know him." Pray that God would grant the desires of their hearts in abundance.
How can someone influence a society? Men of influence in a men’s meeting are given changes to speak. Actually, in a group of 20-30 men, only a handful respected persons will speak. These men will have a great influence on the listeners. Respect is given to those who have a high position in a tribe or in a workplace. Pray that workers will gain respect, although they are foreigners. Pray that they will be able to influence society through active participation in the traditional men’s gatherings.
We recently got together with a group to celebrate "Terry's" birthday. During the dinner, they asked about one of our friends who recently had a baby. Since they know this couple are Christians, they asked, "will they do that thing where they pour water on the babies' head?" This gave us a wonderful opportunity to explain how we baptize and what it means; a public declaration of our commitment to Jesus. Please pray that through these small testimonies from the word, they will be drawn to the "Giver of Life." Pray that our explanation of baptism will spur them on to ask more questions.
A believing professor saw the email address of one of his students, "Jasmine", a local Muslim. The address used a Western expression of the Gospel! When asked about it, "Jasmine" replied: "Oh yes, I love a lot of things in the Bible!" Pray these conversations will continue, and that "Jasmine" will fully embrace the Lord of the Bible.
Testimony
A young lady knows the Master and serves Him. She has her family's permission to work outside the home and have relative freedom in her activities. She has been promised that her marriage will not be "arranged", as most are in this country. She would like to meet a man who believes as she does. In a culture where social status dictates who you marry, even when the families do not choose the spouse for their child, there are many complications in finding a spouse acceptable to the family. This young lady prays for a husband who believes as she does. Where will she find him? Many who love the Master are faced with the same dilemma. Ask that marriages between those who believe will come about, in culturally appropriate ways.